Response of Foam- and Concrete-Filled Square Steel Tubes under Low-Velocity Impact Loading

Abstract

This paper presents the results of experimental and numerical studies of the comparative behavior of square hollow section (SHS) tubes filled with rigid polyurethane foam (RPF) and concrete undergoing transverse impact loading. A series of instrumented drop hammer tests were performed on mild steel and stainless steel SHSs for both filled and unfilled constructions. The concrete-filled tubes had the highest impact resistance and energy absorption capacity, followed by the steel tubes filled with RPF, and then the hollow tubes. The results also show that RPFs can be used as an effective infill material in structural steel hollow columns when expedient enhancement of the energy absorption capacity is required, e.g., to increase blast and impact resistance of hollow structural elements. Nonlinear dynamic finite-element analyses were carried out to simulate drop hammer test conditions. The predicted impact forces, deformation histories, and failure modes were found to be in good agreement with the experimental results.